The weekly times. (Wilmington, Del.) 1886-18??, 1887-03-19

acres--are in like condition as to
fraudulent attempts to secure titles
by this same corporation. The rec.
ord as to which may be referred to
BY any member of this House.
Ot course, Mr.. Speaker, it is with
the best of grace and from the purest
and most disinterested motive that
this man prepares and urges the
passage in convention of cattle
men of resolution denouncing the
methods of Mr.. Commissioner Sparks
and that his policy is detrimental to
the true interests of the farmers OF
this section.
Let us see, Mr.. Speaker, as to the
farmers OF that section. | have in
my mind the holding of land of
another great corporation in that
part of the Union.
A section of the country nearly
fifty miles in width and nearly one
hundred in length, an area larger
than the area of each of several of
the States in the Union, is under
the control of this company, por-
tion Of which, less than one half be-
ing railroad land and procured from
it by this company; but upon all
this vast area of land there is not to-
day a single free holder, not man
upon it except at the will and pleas
ure of this company as a visitor or
an employed
Think of it, an area larger than
Rhode Island or Delaware, large
portion of it secured, as have good
reason to believe, by fraud-aye,
crime--and not freeholder therel
Not spot on which an American
foot can rest without permission
from this corporationi A large part
Of its capital owned by aliens, too.
am told that the man who is at
the head of this enterprise, who has
been in this city for some time dur
ing this session, doubtless "lobbying
in the interest of the cattle grow
ers"and cursing Sparks, is now in
the gallery listening to my remarks
daughter and applause)--and he
doubtless voted in the Convention
that the policy of the department is
.prejudicial TO the best interests Of
theNfarming community in this sec
tion Of the Union
WHOLESALE STEALING OF LAND.
But Mr.. Payson did not stop with
this case, and the following list of
land grabhers-"only a few cases,n
says Mr.. Payson-deserves the at
tention of every K. of L. and every
workingman in the land. They are
only samples of the gigantic frauds
going on, which men in both houses,
but especially republican corporation
Senators, insist shall not he prevent
ed or made TO cease, but shall he for
mally legalized' This list shows
also how great work the Land Of
flee is doing with the insignificant,
force which Mr.. Randall refused to
increase;-
i have another case in mind in
that part of the Union. One COM
pany has procured in a very few
years over thirty miles of continu-
ous water front on the North Platte
River and sufficient land behind this
to control hundreds of thousands Of
acres there.
Believing that some such state
ment might be made that the rich
were not being interfered with, l
have collected a few cases of that
character of land entries which are
being investigated by the Land Of
tice, from which the House can see
whether these statements are sus-
tanned by the facts, and | only cite
such cases as are of record in the
Department of the Interior.
Twenty-seven entries in Bent
county, Col, covering 1920 acres,
made in the interest Of cattle COM
pany, reported and adversely acted
upon
Two hundred and ten entries in
Bent and Las Animas counties, Col,
$4,000 acres, made in the
interest of a cattle company, of
which l04 have been reported upon,
all adversely, and Al cancelled.
Two hundred and forty three
entries in Custer county, Neb., cover
ering $4,000 acres, made in the inter-
est of the cattle company 81 of which
have been reported upon and Is
cancelled.
Twentv-eisht entries in Albany
county, Wy. T., made in the interest
ofa cattle man, covering 81 acres,
10 reported upon and adverse ac-
tion taken.
Thirty entries in Bent county,
Col, covering 4,500 acres, made in
the interest of cattle men; 81 of